Eye of the Beholder
by faraday-gone
Summary: Kagome enters the well, bent on suicide, but is suddenly rescued by a dog-demon boy whose ears look remarkably like her own. IY/K & M/S *Chapter 1 Updated and 2 Added*
1. Windows To The Soul

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any of its affiliates  
  
A/N: This is my first IY fan fic and I hope everyone likes it. This first chapter is extremely short and I plan on having a second much longer one follow this one in the next day or so...depending upon the response this one gets. Anyway, enjoy and remember to review! ;P  
  
Eye of the Beholder  
  
Chapter 1 ~ Windows to the Soul  
  
It finally happened. Her reason for going through with it appeared. Gathering the train of her kimono she turned and ran without hindrance. She had waited years for the decision to be made...an ultimate sign that would point her towards the right path. It was the look on his face that did it... the look that questioned her very being. A man in love never looks at his bride like that...especially on their wedding day.  
  
The rain had started falling softly when the shrine came into view. The shrine where she grew up, that was only a few short blocks from the chapel. She was almost glad that he looked at her like he did a few moments ago when he broke tradition and walked in on her changing. At least this way she wouldn't find out, after 20 years of marriage, he couldn't love her as much as she did him. Her heart wrenched at the realization, causing Kagome's eyes to release the first of her tears.  
  
That bastard.. that horribly cruel bastard. How could he delude her into thinking that she was capable of being loved? A cynical sobbing laugh ripped from her throat. Now she knew the truth and promised herself never to forget it.  
  
"Kagome!"  
  
The sound of her younger brother's cries reached her in her room. Placing a few last minute items in a large yellow backpack, the twenty-year-old priestess prepared herself for the long anticipated encounter.  
  
"Kagome! Kagome what's wrong?!" Sota's frantic voice did nothing to deter his sister from her present course of action. "Kagome please!"  
  
He followed hastily and watched the raven-haired woman slide open the door to the well house, throwing her bag into its gapping maw. Pivoting slowly on her left foot she bestowed him with a tender smile. "Sota I have to go now."  
  
A panicked expression appeared on the small boy's face. "Go? Go where?" Her silence confirmed his suspicions.  
  
"But you can't go! What about me and Mama and Hojo?" Kagome winced at the last name mentioned and turned back to the well.  
  
"Please Kagome. Please don't leave me." The tears were trailing steadily down his chubby cheeks.  
  
She grasped that small boy in her arms as if trying to remember the way he felt in them. After what seemed like an eternity, Kagome drew away gently, "I may not be back for some time and I want you to remember something for me." He cried into the fabric of her wedding frock and sniffed heavily when she released him, shifting a few sweaty strands from his brow.  
  
Kagome took a seat on the well's edge, hearing the footfalls draw nearer. "Never forget... never forget Sota that you have a sister and she loves you." And with that she leaned slowly back into the abyss, letting it claim her... a caring smile never leaving fading from her lips.  
  
"NO! KAGOME!!" Sota leaned over the old well's edge and through the watery sheen he could see the last traces of his beloved sister as they too were consumed by the darkness. Hojo panted at his side, trying to control the way his body heaved from the exertion. How one petite temple maiden was able to move so fast completely eluded him.  
  
One look at the broken little boy next to him and the young groom knew what he had to do. Stoning his resolve he leapt into the well's center only to land on the soft dirt below. He glanced frantically at all areas of the circular confine.  
  
She's gone.  
  
Kagome, his Kagome, was gone... and it was all his fault. 


	2. No Longer Alone

A/N: Cool!! Thanks for all the reviews! I have always thought Hojo was a lousy-bleep, Inuficcrzy. ;P That kid creeps me out! Anyway, here's the next installment of this exciting *cough cough* story. I know I said I would have it out a lot sooner but exams are brutal and it seems lady luck shot me the bird.  
  
Disclaimer: I am not related to or acquainted with the owner of Inuyasha & Co. Just a lonely stalker who sends death threat and letter bombs when the series doesn't go exactly the way I want it to. Hehehe  
  
Eye of the Beholder  
  
Chapter 2. No Longer Alone  
  
The ivy and other vines tore at Kagome's clothing. She was tired and sweating, the traditional dress she wore added quite a bit of awkward poundage. From the first moment her sandaled feet touched the ground outside the well she had been running. It was almost as if she'd never stopped. Muscles in her legs, back, and abdomen clenched with the unusually long exertion. The only pain felt through the adrenaline rush was that which originated in her chest.  
  
There was little experience with untamed forest for Kagome to rely upon. The closest she had ever come to one of this magnitude was the small park on her family's grounds. A sense of freedom overcame her. No one's expectations to meet, no reason to hold back. She charged ahead, moving at a rate her body never before permitted to achieve.  
  
Stopping was out of the question. If she did then it would be real, she'd have to face it and Kagome doubted her heart could bear any more abuse. Swallowing your emotions eats away at your spirit. A dam within her had burst and the torrents were consuming her.  
  
The young miko collapsed on a small cliff that jutted out above a lake. The crisp air was a welcome reward to her burning lungs, though little made it past the gasping sobs.  
  
She found herself staring up. Blue eyes were met with the brilliancy of the nighttime sky, untarnished by the harsh chemicals and pollutants of the modern age. She smiled softly through tears, trying to connect different constellations in this oddly familiar scene.  
  
An ancient moon became more apparent in the darkening horizon. It was funny how she expected it to be in the same phase here as it was in Tokyo...  
  
Letting her thoughts drift back to the place that not too long ago was home, Kagome took on a somewhat fetal position. It hurt to leave Souta like that. It hurt a lot. He was the only one who loved her in spite of everything. Even her mother found it hard to see past the physical difference between her self and a 'normal' human being.  
  
At first she would brush the constant attention off as over-protectiveness. Forever nagging her about everything from how she acted to how she dressed. The woman had dreams of being a soccer mom, head of the PTA, and Kagome only got in the way.  
  
She was ashamed of her own daughter.  
  
The most painful part of the whole thing was her being right. She was absolutely right. All of Kagome's friends abandoned her once they learned what she really was... weird, ugly, a freak. They avoided her at school and in public, once the rumors spread through out town.  
  
She often asked herself why she didn't leave the busy suburb and seek solace somewhere in the mountains or country where no one ever heard of Kagome Higarashi and her 'abnormalities.' Then it would hit her, the one word that made her stay... Hojo.  
  
He was her lifeline, her oasis in the desert. Sure, he heard all the gossip and stories, but that never stopped him from talking to her. Hojo made her feel wanted, accepted, loved. She couldn't bring herself to corrupt the goddess-like image his eyes reflected when he smiled.  
  
Should the impossible happen, meaning Hojo accepting her for who or what she is, Kagome knew her mind would travel back to the time when he walked in on her changing, and how in his gaze she could see all those taunting children pointing, judging. Her emotions seemed to be making good progress though; tears came without the heart wrenching sobs this time.  
  
~*~***~*~  
  
He watched the strange woman enter the pool from the safety of the bushes. The sounds of despair halted a few moments earlier. She now seemed to be performing a sort of cleansing ritual. Splashing water, she caused her garment to cling to her like a second skin, ruining its modesty purposes.  
  
The man tensed, she was heading into the deeper areas of the lake. The saturated cloth acted as an anchor, making swimming impossible. The maiden showed no alarm, walking with resolution until the cool liquid reached the tops of her shoulders.  
  
Curiosity overtaking him, he inched to the water's edge. He brushed a stray strand of black hair from his view, finding a spot in the shadows for further observation of this creature.  
  
~*~***~*~  
  
Kagome eyed her wavy image; it flickered slightly in her wake. Circular ripples formed about her, extending outward in expanding patterns that lapped like waves against the shores.  
  
The time had come and she wasn't going to back down. Paying a final tribute to the moon and the Mother in the form of a prayer, she leaned back, emptying her lungs of oxygen, and letting the gown that once represented the beginning of her life pull her to its end.  
  
Just before fog overtook her consciousness, a figure took form above the surface.  
  
~*~***~*~  
  
What the hell was that woman doing? He watched the water bubble with released air. Ignoring his common sense, the dark-haired man dove after her.  
  
She was resting on the lakebed. A few moistened locks swayed around her, merely adding to the ethereal beauty this one small female exuded. He grabbed the front of her frock and tore the hampering outer shell from her body. Its weight gave birth to a massive dust cloud upon hitting the floor. Holding her by the waist, he ascended, carrying his treasure to shore.  
  
"Why?" That had been her first question, after a half an hour attempt at resuscitation paid off. He had raided the large yellow bag she discarded, finding food and supplies to keep her from developing hypothermia.  
  
The woman just stared into his purple eyes while he stoked their small fire, not fully seeing the man before her. "Why didn't you just let me die?" Curling together, the maiden cried herself into an unwilling slumber. He stayed up most of the night, keeping her from slipping too deeply away.  
  
~*~***~*~  
  
Hmm...something smells...good. Damn good actually. The scent was tantalizing, filling her with an overwhelming urge to locate the source. Concentrating on the task at hand, she inhaled deeply, crawling closer and closer to a suspicious looking mass of white and red.  
  
Kagome hovered over the furry thing, sniffing at it tentatively. The aroma reminded her of when she used to bake cinnamon and sugar cookies with Sota. It warmed her heart, causing yesterday's events to be thrust into obscurity. Whatever it was, it had her stamp of approval.  
  
A sudden groan gurgled from the creature. She retreated a few feet, growing anxious as it stretched to larger and larger proportions. What happened to that guy from last night?  
  
"I see you're finally awake, the name's Inuyasha." Her eyes reached maximum width; he advanced, shaking his silver mane into a perfectly groomed state. How did he do that?  
  
"Well, can you talk or are you as stupid as I think you are?" He tried to suppress the laughter the look on her face produced.  
  
"Where the hell do you get off talking to me like that?" Kagome shook with rage.  
  
He gave a knowing smirk, "It speaks," he proclaimed with feigned astonishment. "You know, I did save your life."  
  
She let loose a feral growl, loving the surprised look on his face. "I don't remember asking for your help."  
  
Inuyasha's whole demeanor changed. He was within an arm's length, peering at her questioningly. A grin revealed an epiphany had struck him. She could almost see a glowing bulb hovering above him.  
  
Kagome instinctively covered the top of her head with her arms. Once a silken waterfall of molten midnight sky, her hair clumped together in an infinite amount of knots. Life sucked...  
  
The nearby trees rustled, helping to clear the air of anxiety that plagued their make-shift camp. Summer winds whipped through the clearing making her strange knight with shining hair twitch his ears to and fro. Wait a second...  
  
~*~***~*~  
  
He didn't know what happened, really. One minute he had the girl cornered like a frightened doe and the next she was growling like a...  
  
Hey...  
  
That was it! No wonder why she smelled so damned good. Everything was beginning to make sense. A sly grin overtook his lips as fiendish works turned and fizzed in his mind.  
  
And she thought she could fool ItheI Inuyasha. That bitch had another thing coming.  
  
"Alright, I get it now." It was too late for her to deny it and her obviously shocked expression only added to his certainty.  
  
"That's your lake, ain't it?" The girl's jaw remained unhinged.  
  
He took a proud stance, crossing his arms with a smirk. "Yep, I knew that was why you smelled like that. It's okay, no need to thank me. I'll leave you to your duties, sprite." Inuyasha turned, gathering his few belongings and heading off into the forest.  
  
The hanyou never saw her coming.  
  
"Hey you crazy bitch! What the hell are you doing?" Kagome had tackled him. Wrestling the bemused half-breed onto his back, she straddled his waist with surprisingly muscular legs. Inuyasha, thoroughly confused, blushed crimson.  
  
The miko watched his ears with fascination. Her eyes were childlike in wonder. Releasing one arm from her grasp, she slowly approached a fuzzy appendage. It moved just as her fingers made contact, sending her into a reflexive jump.  
  
Taking advantage of such an opportunity, Inuyasha flipped her over, mimicking the assault. She appeared unfazed, lifting her head to blow on the triangle-shaped features. He snarled, attempting unsuccessfully to prevent another splash of color from attacking his cheeks. "Cut that out."  
  
Kagome smiled. The first smile to reach every corner of her soul, lighting it aflame with utter happiness. Tears streamed in rivulets along her temples.  
  
The man loosened his hold, boarding on a nervous breakdown. His move freed her to smother his neck with her arms. Unfamiliar to such circumstances, Inuyasha was at a loss. Should he comfort her? Apologize? He didn't remember doing anything to upset her. Stupid females...  
  
Giving a final affectionate squeeze, she helped him to stand, smiling at the blatant emotions dancing across his thoughts. Pulling several pins from her hair, she let it fall away, revealing a pair of velvety black ears.  
  
Kagome wasn't alone anymore. 


End file.
